Hey, you have noticed it’s been a while since I’ve posted a cake, right?! I’m really truly sorry about that. Cake means a lot to me. Cake is family and a home. I hope that by now it means a little to you too. If not a lot.

Maybe it’s time to bring the cake collection back to life. What is “the cake collection”? You can submit a recipe and photo/guest post a cake you made and get some link love. It can even be one that you have already posted on your blog. There’s nothing to lose, only win! Click here for more info. I’d love to see your cakes and it’ll be chance for me and the blog readers to get to know YOU.

So, without further delays… here it is… Ina Garten’s Honey Vanilla Pound Cake recipe. The recipe is from her “back to basics” cookbook. I will tell you more about it soon as I’ve been cooking my way through the book this week. It has lots of wonderful recipes. This is how I stumbled upon this cake which had a gorgeous of honey-sunnycolored cake.

It took 15 minutes to make!

A little note about the photography. Ever since this workshop I stopped using my tripod. Since Penny said she does not use one, which was music to my ears, I quit using mine. BUT, I guess my hands are not as stable as hers and I notice the recent photos are not so sharp. For example, the top photo was shot using a tripod and the one below was not. The last one, at the bottom of the post was shot with a tripod. You can see the difference? I can too. So from now on, I’m back to using it.

I really dislike, to say it gently, using the tripod. I feel it limits my freedom to move and shoot from different angles freely and quickly. I especially hate that mine is very inconvenient to shoot a lengthwise photo since it lacks that axis that moves the camera in different angles. I wasn’t aware of that when I bought it. So there’s a tip for you. Remember this when you buy yours! Mine only moves 2 ways; left-right and up-down, but when the camera is set lengthwise for a photo like the top one, it’s a pain to work with. Aarggggh. But as I can clearly see the difference in sharpness and quality, I admit, it is much better with a tripod.

Honey vanilla pound cake

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees (180°C.) Grease the bottom of an 8½ x 4½ x 2½ inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, put the eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon zest but do not combine. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time, allowing each egg to become incorporated and scraping the bowl with a spatula before adding the next one.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, add it slowly to the batter until just combined.

Finish mixing the batter with a spatula and pour it into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.

* For cake flour substitute, click here.

Tags : cake, Honey, pound, recipe, vanilla
Categories : A cake for the weekend, Cakes, Food Photography, Recipes